Quinceneara Photographer in Phoenix, Arizona

17 May 2012

Lately I am going back and looking at old projects and blog posts that I put in a draft form and never published.

This is one photoshoot that I never have shown anyone (except the woman I was shooting for.)

It's of Briana's Quince Años and it's from 2008.

I was the second photographer for Kim, who later became one of my brides. It was early November, right around the time of the presidential election, actually I think the weekend before the election. I remember it was really hot for November.

It was the first time I had done multiple photo sessions in one weekend, it was the first time I shot with a 135 mm Canon L 2.0 lens (LOVE that lens more that I can say) and it was the first time I carried two cameras around so that I wouldn't have to constantly change lenses. All stuff I still do today. So I feel I learned a lot from this shoot. I remember being obsessed with looking for leading lines, framing and the rule of thirds idea - and I am looking at these images now and realizing I got tons of portraits. It can be really hard to balance out the need for portraits and what I LOVE to do and really want to do, which is take photojournalistic shots that employ the rules I just listed.

I look at these photos and wonder what would I do differently if I was photographing this Quince today. I know my Photoshopping processing has changed a lot. I know more ways to use photoshop; I also have way more Photoshop tools and a better sense of how I like images to look. And I also know more about getting the right color balance. But I still really like them, and I absolutely love this first one - I would say it has that "decisive moment" quality that one of my favorite photographers Henri Cartier-Bresson talked about and was always on the look out for. Plus it has the framing I remember being obsessed with finding!

ALL OF the rest of the text is from when I first started making this blog post, from 3.5 years ago.

All of Briana's court, her godparents and and many of her relatives met up at Heritage Square in Phoenix before going to the church, so we got group photos.

Briana's cousins

Briana's cousin and her aunt:

Briana and all her girls!

Briana and her cousin rode to the church in the coolest classic car. Where ever Briana went her little cousin went with her. You could tell they were really close.

Briana helping her mom get ready.

Her parents escorting her into the church.

And then two more thru the door before the ceremony began.

I love how this image looks in black and white.

After the ceremony at the church, everyone went back to Heritage Square and the big birthday party celebration was getting started.

By the end of the night, hundreds and hundreds of friends, family, teachers, and classmates showed up for Briana's birthday.

Briana and all the boys and girls who made up her Court went and waited in a garden courtyard area before they were all called out and introduced at the banquet.

They all had to wait a pretty long time and at first all the kids were pretty calm and quiet but after a while it got a little crazy, but totally fun, too

It was cute to see these three transform from being totally silly to very on-their-best-behavior as they walked out into the crowd.

Briana entering with her parents.

Briana holding the doll, her "last doll" that she gave to her little cousins as part of the ceremony. Her dad was placing high heels on her feet.

Some of the guests watching.

Briana's little brother gave a sweet speech that had everyone laughing.

The Quinceañera dancing with her Chambelan.

Briana with her mom. To me this has kinda a glamourous, old Hollywood movie feel to it.

This little brother and sister were so cute.

They had been enjoying the whole day, but by now it was almost midnight and they had fallen asleep, which was kinda amazing because the DJ was still playing really loud dance music.

Sugar stars on Briana's cake!

I left the party around midnight and as I was leaving I looked across 7th St at the Monroe School, which was built in 1913. It's still a place for kids, it's now the Children's Museum of Phoenix. I've never been there, but it looks like fun, except at night it looks a little haunted, with lights in different colors turning on and off. I stopped and got some slow shutter speed images of cars driving past the building, that's what those streaks of light in front of the building are.

Are you planning a Quince and need a photographer? Email [email protected] to get more information about my photography. :)

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